Mechanical Animals: Resident Evil 4

14

"Rosemarie," Doctor Mueller called gently. Her red curls hung over her shoulder in silken waves as she knelt down beside Rose's teenage form. Her green eyes sparkled as an excited smile split her face. "Today's the day, sweetheart. You're going to the United States with your new dad."

~~//~~

"That awful woman tricked me!" Derek hissed as he paced in front of Rose. He sent her a disgusted, scathing look. "And there's nothing I can do about it without HIM coming after me. Or you. But coming after me is worse." He mumbled the last bit and Rose tried to make herself small to avoid grabbing his attention again. She hated it here. She hated Derek, and his absent wife. Why had he even adopted her? All he cared about was some woman who wasn't around anymore.

Derek finally stopped pacing, coming to a stop in front of her and sighing, his shoulders heaving up and down once. His sharp gaze fixed on her trembling form. "Well, I've already started the process, and you're not dead yet. I can still get some use out of you."

~~//~~

She walked into the school cafeteria where the recruiters were setting up tables for today's assembly. There was a table for each of the military branches, and she walked by each of them, not making eye contact with any of the men or women standing behind them. But back in the far corner was a smaller table, out of the way and unassuming. The woman sitting behind it didn't seem to care one way or another if anyone approached. She was dressed in a black and white pantsuit, her hair up in a tight bun, and she was playing on her phone, obviously happy that the high schoolers were passing her by.

Rose walked over to her, her curiosity piqued. The woman looked up at her approach and frowned.

"Get to class, kid. You don't want any part of this."

"Why did you set up a table if you don't want anyone to sign up?" Asked Rose snottily.

"Because I was given orders to. You're too young for this crap. Worry about your homework and dying your hair for your emo phase while you have the luxury." The woman gave a pointed look to her dark hair. It wasn't her hair, not really. Not what she'd been born with, but she'd woken up like this a couple years ago. Rose frowned defensively, crossing her arms over her chest, rebelling against being told what to do.

"I'm almost eighteen. I can do what I want." She grabbed the black ink pen that was sitting beside an empty sign-up sheet and signed her name in big John Hancock fashion, taking up three of the spaces and leaving her house phone number for contacting. She smirked at the look on the woman's face.

Well, she'd certainly wanted a way to get out of that house. Now she had one.

Rose looked at the logo on the paper. DSO.

What the hell even was the DSO?

~~//~~

Rose and Leon jerked awake to the sound of a door bursting open and banging against the wall, the sound loud and echoing throughout the room. They jumped to their feet as Ashley appeared over the banister of a balcony. "Leon! Rose!" She cried in relief.

"Ashley," Leon breathed, equally as relieved. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah! Give me a sec, I'll get you guys out." She walked along the banister, and pushed over a dead cultist. There was a clanging as something metal hit the marble floor and Ashley bent down to pick it up, then stood up and held it over her head. "Hey! Try this!" She tossed it through the bars and Leon caught it with expert precision.

"Can you make it down? I can catch ya."

"Yeah, I think so!"

Leon nodded and turned to walk over to the door. Rose's eyes widened when a towering figure in a red cloak walked up behind Ashley. But it wasn't the normal human cultist who wore the Ram's head. This figure was unnaturally tall with leathery black skin, and elongated fingers. It looked more like an exoskeleton than skin. Rose drew her firearm and sent a bullet flying into it's side as Ashley screamed while being picked up.